Under-23 rowers race for 7th overall in the world

In contrast to the hot, flat, tail wind conditions, the wind had switched around to be a head wind with cool temperatures starting off the day around 18 degrees Celsius.

A number of 2009 under-23 medallists found themselves racing in these B-finals as the ever-increasing standard at the under-23 level raises the bar. 

Lightweight Women's Single Sculls (BLW1x) – B-final

This is Aelexandra Opachanova of Kazakhstan’s first season in the single. Last time she raced internationally it was at the Beijing Olympics. Today she led the B-final from start to finish despite a strong challenge from Switzerland’s Angelina Casanova. Casanova missed the mark yesterday in the semifinal after never recovering from a slow start. But today Casanova made the best of this race finishing just behind Opachanova. Barbora Sagova of Slovakia came through in third. Opachanova’s seventh place overall is her best result internationally.

Results: KAZ, SUI, SVK, PAR, GER, USA

Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls (BLM1x) – B-final

Michael Albisser of Switzerland has raced at the last two under-23 champs in the lightweight double. Switching to the single has not been detrimental to him as he raced to first in the B-final in a well-timed race. Leonardo Boccuni of Italy had the lead at the start. This is also Boccuni’s first international regatta in the single. He comes from racing in the open quad at the junior level. Boccuni managed to move away from Albisser through the middle of the race, but the Swiss sculler had timed his energy output well and got into the lead coming into the final sprint.

Results: SUI, ITA, BUL, TUR, USA, NED

Lightweight Men’s Pair (BLM2-) – B-final

Austria and Russia led the field at the start of this B-final to pull clear away from the other four countries in the field. Then the early pace began to take its toll on Russia and Austria’s Michael Stichauner and Alexander Chernikov warmed up for this regatta by racing at the senior Rowing World Cup where they finished a very credible seventh overall. Today Stichauner and Chernikov remained out in front as they raced towards coming seventh overall at the under-23 level.

As the pace slipped for the Russians, Chiu Mang Tang and Ki Cheong Kwan of Hong Kong moved through to second and pulled out a huge finishing sprint to challenge Austria as they headed towards the line. Austria held them off.

Results: AUT, HKG, RUS, IRL, BRA, CAN

Lightweight Men’s Quadruple Sculls (BLM4x) – B-final

Denmark’s Nicolai Skjoelstrup, Jens Bakhoej, Andrej Bendtsen and Jens Nielsen got away in the lead of this six-boat pack. But in fine lightweight racing style, the boats were close. By the half-way point, however, Denmark had established half a boat length’s lead with the real battle going on behind them for second between Switzerland, Canada and the Netherlands. As Denmark moved further away from the field the Dutch, Canadians and Switzerland remained overlapping with each other, the Dutch just a bit out in front. Yesterday in the semifinal Switzerland had pulled out a huge sprint in the final 500m. Would they do it again today?

Switzerland must have given their best yesterday as today the Dutch and Canadians managed to out-sprint the Swiss. Denmark remained out in front with the Netherlands challenging the Danes, but still ending in second.

Results: DEN, NED, CAN, SUI, POL, USA

Women’s Single Sculls (BW1x) – B-final

Four boats got off the line at a very similar pace with Ivana Filipovic of Serbia just in front. This is Filipovic’s third year racing in the under-23 single and last year she finished 11th. If Filipovic can win this race, she will be posting her best international result of her career. Filipovic must have had that on her mind as by the half-way point the Serbian had pulled herself a full boat length ahead of her nearest rival.

Meanwhile, Ireland, the Czech Republic and Nicole Beukers of the Netherlands shadowed each other down the 2000m course. As the Czech dropped back, Beukers and Lisa Dilleen of Ireland went after Filipovic. But the Serbian had timed the race well, doing all of her hard work early on in the race. Despite the mighty Dutch and Irish sprint, Filipovic had enough of a lead to remain in front.

Results: SRB, NED, IRL, CZE, GBR, ESP

Men’s Single Sculls (BM1x) – B-final

The early lead by Switzerland evaporated in the second half of the race when close challenger Maxim Zhemaldinov of Russia kept the pace going. Zhemaldinov finished fourth in this event two years ago and then moved to the quad last year. Back in the single, Zhemaldinov had the lead with 500m left to row. The Russian then completely moved away from the rest of the field. Slovenia’s Janez Zupan, now in second, had no answer and neither did Switzerland.

Zhemaldinov finished the race with a comfortable lead and a placing of seventh overall.

Results: RUS, SLO, SUI, LAT, USA, HUN

Men’s Pair (BM2-) – B-final

Hungary’s Adrian Juhasz and Bela Simon Jr., got the silver last year and raced at the senior Rowing World Cup earlier this season to finish 10th. Today they raced in the B-final after finishing fourth in yesterday’s semifinal. Argentina had the fastest start before the experienced Hungarians hauled the Argentineans back in to take the lead with Ukraine slipping into second. Meanwhile, home crowd favourites Yauhen Aliakhnovich and Ihar Pashevich of Belarus had pulled their socks up and were moving through from the back of the field to the cheers of the crowd.

With Juhasz and Simon still in first, Belarus continued to move, doing the very well-planned negative splitting scenario all of the way to the finish. In the final sprint Belarus went after Hungary, but the Hungarians had enough of a lead to hold them off.

Results: HUN, BLR, UKR, ITA, ARG, USA

Men’s Double Sculls (BM2x) – B-final

Egypt are trained to be fast starters and the duo did exactly this in the B-final to get off the line first. But by the half way point it was Ukraine that gained the lead with Egypt still right there followed by Greece. Then a big piece by Dionysios Angelopoulos and Konstantinos Douflias of Greece propelled them into the lead. Douflias finished fourth last year in this event and this year he rows with a new partner.

The Greeks remained in the lead and in a very well-timed race, Angelopoulos and Douflias moved away from the field to win comfortably.

Results: GRE, UKR, BEL, NOR, EGY, ISR

Men’s Four (BM4-) – B-final

Last year the United States took silver in this event. Today, a year later, they raced to be seventh in the world. Dane McFadden, Nicholas Jordan, Alex Syverson and Evan Cassidy of the United States got the lead at the start and refused to give it up. The large contingent of US supporters in the crowd liked this and encouraged their team to the end.

Behind the United States, Slovenia moved from third into a very comfortable second place spot with their much stronger second half over Romania. Slovenia gave it a good shot to close the gap on the US, but the United States looked well in control.

Results: USA, SLO, ROU, LTU, CRO, ARG 

Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls (BLW2x) – B-final

Veronica Garcia Mulet and Laura Terradas of Spain are debuting internationally at these under-23 championships and today they raced to be seventh overall by leading the B-final from start to finish. Terradas and Garcia Mulet jumped out at the start just a bit faster than Denmark. The Danes shadowed Spain for the first half of the race and then they began to slip away as the stamina of the United States and Ireland proved to be better developed than that of the Danes.

Moving into second the United States went after Spain with Ireland following suit. It was all on in the final sprint. Claire Lambe and Sarah Dolan of Ireland gave it their all with Spain doing their best to hold them off and the United States going with them. Three boats crossed the finish line practically on top of each other. Spain had made it – just.

Results: ESP, IRL, USA, DEN, NED, RUS

Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls (BLM2x) – B-final

Belarus got off to a fine start ahead of Bulgaria in this B-final keeping the pressure on to ensure the lead through the middle of the race. But the margins were close with Sweden and Italy also right there with the leader. Then a third 500m piece by Bulgaria gave them the lead. Bulgaria stuck with them. The sprint was on to the line. Sweden’s Oskar Russberg and Dennis Bernhardsson had the edge. Russberg and Bernhardsson raced together in the lightweight quad last year finishing eighth. This year they earned a seventh place finish as double scullers.

Results: SWE, BUL, BLR, ITA, AUS, CZE

Lightweight Men’s Four (BLM4-) – B-final

Last year Japan were the silver medallists in this event. Making amends in the B-final, Japan finished first, 2000m after the start. Mitsuo Nishimura, Wataru Ikeuchi, Yuki Ikeda and Toshiki Sugishima of Japan only missed out of making the A-final after finishing just out of third in the semifinal yesterday by 47/100th of a second. Today, Japan started out in third before overtaking Australia to sit in second through the body of the race.

Meanwhile, Chile had the lead at the start and held this position, moving away from Japan through the middle of the race. Then Japan decided to put things right and did a huge sprint to the line. Spain also had another gear left in them, leaving Chile to slip back to third.

Results: JPN, ESP, CHI, HUN, FRA, AUS

Men’s Quadruple Sculls (BM4x) – B-final

Australia got the bronze medal last year but found themselves racing in today’s B-final after a weak semifinal race yesterday. Today the Australians got out in front buoyed by the loud cheering party in the finishing grandstand. It looked like the race would go Australia’s way as they led the five other boats through the body of the race. Then Italy, who had been gaining on the Australians as the race progressed, closed in on Australia and pulled out a huge finishing sprint.

Australia had nothing left to give. Italy crossed the line in first.

Results: ITA, AUS, GBR, USA, GER, SLO

Men’s Eight (BM8+) – B-final

The men’s eight has been an Estonian rowing project since 2005 and today this eight raced in the B-final starting out behind Australia at the start with Turkey up there on the pace. A tricky crab in the Turkish boat lost them vital time through the second 500m and the Turks dropped back in the field.

Meanwhile Australia looked like they couldn’t maintain their early pace and Estonia took over in the lead with France following closely behind. At the line Estonia had earned seventh in the world after finishing sixth in 2009.

Results: EST, FRA, AUS, UKR, ITA, TUR